AP source: Angel Di Maria accepts 4-year deal with PSG

PARIS (AP) — Manchester United winger Angel Di Maria will join Paris Saint-Germain on a four-year deal to become the second most expensive player in the French league history.

A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that Di Maria is expected in Paris later this week to sign the deal after undergoing a medical exam in Doha on Monday.

He spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly about the deal before it is official. Manchester United has agreed to sell the Argentina winger for a fee that is “in the region of 63 million euros ($69 million)” the person said.

At PSG, the versatile Di Maria will be teaming up with Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani, who joined the Qatari-funded club for a reported fee of 64 million euros when PSG broke the French transfer record in 2013.

The former Real Madrid midfielder joined United for 59.7 million pounds ($99 million) last summer as the most expensive signing in the history of British football, but he had an inconsistent season at Old Trafford.

Di Maria got off to a bright start early in the season then struggled to adapt to the Premier League. The man of the match in the 2014 Champions League final was quickly reduced to a second-fiddle role in Louis van Gaal’s side and ended the season with a meager tally of three goals in 27 Premier League appearances. However, his 10 assists were only bettered by Chelsea’s Cesc Fabregas.

Di Maria, who will be reunited with Argentina teammates Javier Pastore and Ezequiel Lavezzi in Paris, did show signs of his very best with his national team at the Copa America, where Argentine finished runner-ups this summer.

PSG, whose main goal this season is to win the Champions League, will be counting on his energy, incisive dribbles and ability to run with the ball at pace to reach a new level on the European scene, where the French champions failed to advance beyond the quarterfinals over the past two seasons.

He will give PSG coach Laurent Blanc plenty of offensive options, either on the left side of the midfield or in a more central role.

PSG started to court Di Maria last summer but UEFA financial fair play restrictions, that have since been eased, prevented his transfer to the French capital.